Foot support for bootblack stands or the like



A. 1. OLING. FO'OT SUPPORT FOR BOOTBLACK STANDS 0R THE-LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED AN. 24i I9?I.

Patented Apr. 4, 1922.

Unirse srA'res ATENT OFFIC'E.-

ABRAHAM J. QLNG, GF CHIGAGO, ILLINOIS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 4, 1922.

Application filed January 24, 1921. Serial No. 439,428.

To @ZZ 107mm t muy 'concer-u.'

Beit known that I, Assai-IAM .l Grano, a citizen ofthe United States, residing` at Chicago, in the county ot Coeli, citate ot' lli inois, haveinvented certain new and useful lm- 1,)roveme'nts in `Foot Supports tor Bootblaclr Stands or the like, of which the llowing lis 4a specification.

The present invention relates to foot supports for use upon stands used by bootblacks and others and involves features which are capable of various uses and adaptations. rlhe various Jfeatures, however, are particularly ,applicable to boot blacks stands and the invention will accordingly be described and illustrated in that connection. One ob- `ject ot the .invention is to provide a device ot the class specified in which the foot ot the customer will be held iirmly upon the supiort while his boot is beine blacked or other-v -o I-a wise treated. Another object of the invention is to provide efficient mea-ns 'for vertically adjusting the support to suit the requirements of the customer. rnotherobject is to so locate the 'parts that those protruding ab'ovethe stand willL lie close to its top and thus be out of the way and not interiere with the customer when mounting or leaving the stand. Other objects are to provide a device which shall be efficient in operation, simple in construction, economical to manuA facture ,and easy to disassemble and assemble when it' becomes necessary to inspect or repair.

{Theseveral features of my invention will be best understood upon reference to the iollowir'ip,` detailed description taken in connection withthe accompanyinp` drawing` and the scope oit the invention will'be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

'In said drawing'.` Fig. l is a vertical eleva tion of a foot supportconstructed in accordance' with the present invention, parts being' shown in section `ifor clearness and parts broken away so as to bring the view within reasonable compass; Fie'. 9 is a plan view of the support upon which the boot of the customer is positioned; Figi 3 is a vertical section of the same taken on a plane indicated by the line 23 3 oi Fig'. Fig. il is a plan view ot the guide frame with a portion of its cover plate broken away to show parts beneath it and with the rod which carries the toot support shown in section, the plane of Vthe section being indicated by line e-ll ot Fig. 1 g'Fig. 5 is an elevation of a portion ot a modined supportingrod; Fig. 6 is a the upper surface of the top 10. The guide iframe 12 is secured to the stand by the bolts 15 which pass through the portion 13 of the frame and the top of the stand. Suitable nuts 16 are threaded upon the lower ends of the bolts 15 to securely hold'the parts to- `'ether. A supporting rod 17 extends through the tubular portion 14 of the l,oguide frame l2 and is adapted to be adjusted vertically within the same. upper end the support 18 upon whichl the toot et' the customer rests when the stand is in use.V This toot supportlS may be secured to the rod 17 in any desired way. Inthe instance shown, the upper end of. the rod is itted .into an oblong opening in the footsupport, and pins 19 extend transversely through the support and rod to secure the same together.

The support 18 1s shaped so as to conform to the under surface of the boot and is provided near its rear end with a shoulder 20 againstwhich the forward edge of the heel of the boot may be pressed. The forward portion of the foot support 18'is curved upwardly to conform to the usual curvature ot the sole ot the boot. The portion of the support to `the rear ot the shoulder`20 is that portion upon which the heel of the boot rests.

The latter is provided with a irictional member 21 composed of rubber or other suit-- able resilient material set into a depression in the upper tace of this portion of the support 1S. ln the present instance the member 21 consists of a number oi' intersecting concentric and radial ribs. The-spaces or openings Q2 between these ribs register with like spaces or openings 23 in the toot support 18, so that any substance which has clung` to the heel et the customer may be dislodged and rl"he rod 17 carries at its when so dislodged may pass through the openings and drop from the support. Obviously the `arrangement of the ribs of the member 21 may be varied butin any instance it is desirable to have openings through the member and the adjacent portion of the support so as to allow material on the heel to drop from the support and thus insure a betler lgrip of the resilient material upon the The forward portion of the foot support 18 is provided with a vacuum cup member 24 which is secured near its center to the support and has a free resilient periphery. A plug 25 having an overhanging flange 26 may be screwed into a threaded opening in the adjacent portion of the foot support 18 for the purpose of securing the vacuum member 24 in placey Then the plug 25 is screwed home, the flange 26 will press the engaged portions of the resilient cup 24 against the adjacent surface of the support 18 and thus bring about a suitable connection which will be mechanically sufiicient and at the same time provide an air-tight joint. The plug 25 is provided with a central opening 27 whichserves as an outlet to the cup 24.

The lower end of the outlet 27 is provided with a spring valve 28. This valve consists of a leaf spring which is secured at its rear end to the underside of the sup port 18 terminates at its forward end in a handle or projection 29. The normal tension of the spring is such as to cause it to move upwardly against the under side of the plug 25. -A gasket 30 secured to the upper side of the spring 28y serves to close the outlet 27 when the spring is left free to act. This gasket 30 may consist of rubber or other like material. Pressure of the thumb or finger on the outer end of the spring valve 28 causes the gasket 30 to'move away from the outlet 27 and thus open the latter so that air may pass through it to the interior of the chamber formed by the cup 24 and the sole of the boot. The downward movement of the spring valve 28 is `limited by the head of a screw 31. The latter extends through an opening in the spring 28 and is screwed into the under side of the foot support 18.

In service the customer places his foot upon the support 18 so as to bring the heel upon the frictional member 21 and the sole near the ball of the foot upon the frictional member 24. Pressure upon the latter causes nir within the cup to be forced out through the opening 27 past the valve 28 and thus provides a lpartial vacuum in the cup whenever the sole is moved upward. While the boot is being worked upon. the vacuum mem-V ber 24 and the resilient ribs of the heel-engaging member 21 serve to hold the boot against dislodgment. When the time has come for the customer to lift his foot from the support, the attendant presses down upon the handle 29 of the valve 28 and thus prevents forming a vacuum within the cup 24 and thereby frees the boot at this point.

In order to radjust the foot support 18 to a desired height, recourse is had to a cord 32 and pulleys 33 and 34. One end of the cord is fixed to a pin 35 screwed into a threaded opening in the lower end of the tubular ortion 14 of the guide frame 12. The cor is then passed over the pulley 33 which is secured to the lower end 'of the supporting rod 17, and thence over pulley 34 which is also secured to the lower end of the tubular portion 14 of the guide frame 12. The forward end of the cord 32 passes through a sleeve 36 in the front 11 of the stand and terminates in a knob 37. In the lowermost position of the supporting rod 17, the knob 37 preferably engages the outer end of the sleeve 36 and at that time the foot support 18 preferably rests upon the upper portion 13 of the guide frame 12, all as clearly shown in Fig. 1. When it is desired to elevate the foot support 18, then the knob 37 pulled outward from the stand and the force applied to it is transmitted to the lower end of the rod 17 and the latter is raised to an'extent dependent upon the pull upon the cord 32.

In order to hold the rod 17 in its adjusted position it is provided with a series of teeth 38 which co-operate with a catch or lock 39 located in the upper portion 13 of .the guide frame 12. The lat-ch 39 has its end beveled so as to fit the teeth 38 and the square shoulders of the latter rest upon the upper face of the former whenever the latch is in latching position. The latch 39 is normally held in latching position by a coiled spring 40 which bears at one end against a shoulder on the latch and at the other end against a wall of the chamber 41 formed in the portion 13 of the guide frame 12. This coiled spring 40 surrounds a stem 42 which extends from the latch through the chamber 41 and through an openingr in' the body of the portion 13 of the guide frame to its front face. The outer end of the stem 42 is provided with a knob 43. TheV engagement of the shoulder of the latter with the face of the portion 13 may be used to limit the inwardmovement of the latch. On the other hand the engagement of the latch with the rod 17 may be relied upon to limit its inward movement. When it is desired to lower the foot support 18it is only necessary to pull outward on the knob 43 so as to releasethe catch 39. The rod 17 and the support 18' will then fall under the action of gravity. VThe extent to Awhich they are allowed to fallV will depend upon the point at which the cord 32 is grasped. It

may also be noted `that the downward movement of the rod 17 may be controlled by the cord 32.

The chamber 41 is formed in the upper face of the portion 13 of the guide frame 12 and the upper face of this portion is also shaped to receive a closing plate or cover 44 which closes the chamber 41 and rests upon, or closely approaches, the upper surface of the latch 39. rThis plate is secured to the frame portion 13 in any suitable way, as by screws 45. The pulley 33 is suitably journaled in a pulley 'frame or casing 46 which is provided with a threaded stud which extends into a threaded opening in the lower end of the rod 17. Similarly the pulley 34 is journaled in a yoke 47 which is likewise secured to the' portion 14 of the guide frame 12.

In the form of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, the supporting rod 17 is hexagonal in cross section. It is thus prevented from rotating in the frame 12 and the foot support 18 is thereby maintained in its proper position. In Figs. 5 and 6 I have shown a modified supporting rod 17 l whose main portion is circular in cross section and is provided with a feather 48 to prevent its rotation within the guide frame 12. Again, in Figs. 7 and 8 I have shown a supporting rod 17b which comprises a section made up of parts which are arranged in the form of a cross, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 8. `Where these modified sections are employed, it is obvious that the shape of the tubular portion of the guide frame 12 must be modified to fit the sections employed. These irregular sections positioned in appropriately shaped guide frames prevent rotation or the foot support 18. Other changes may be made in the parts illustrated and described without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Such changes will readily occur to persons skilled in the art. The parts in Fig. 1 are shown upon a somewhat smaller scale than are the parts in the remaining figures. In Fig. 1 IE Vhave also shown the toot support 18 and the supporting rod 17 in differently adjusted positions, the one being shown in full lines and the other in dotted lines.

`What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. A device or' the class described including a toot support, a vacuum-cup member mounted thereon and having a resilient bootengaging periphery and an air outlet, and a manually .operable spring-pressed valve normally closing said outlet.

2. A device of the class described including a stand, a guide frame secured thereto,

lower end of said rod, means including` a cord passingover said pulley for adjusting said rod and foot support vertically, and means for holding said rod in its adjusted positions.

3. A device oi' the class described including a stand, a guide frame secured thereto, a veertically movable rod guided in said frame, a foot support secured to the upper end of said rod, a pulley secured to the lower end of said rod, a pulley secured to said guide frame, a cord secured at one end to said guide frame and passing over` said pulleys in turn and operative to adjust said rod vertically, and a catch tor holding said rod in its adjusted positions.

4. A device or the class described including a stand having a horizontal top and a vertical front, a guide frame mounted in said top, a rod movable vertically in said guide frame, a foot support secured to the top of said-rod and lying in its lowermost position near said top, means including a cord and pulleys for moving said rod vertically, said cord passing through an opening in said vertical front of the stand, a rack on said rod, and a catch positioned in said guide frame at a point just above said stand top and operative to engage said rack to hold said rod in its adjusted positions.

5. A device of the class described including a stand having a horizontal top, a guide :trame having an upper portion resting on said top and a depending tubular portion extending down through an opening in said top, a notched rod movable vertically through said tubular portion,'a Jfoot support secured to the top of said rod and lying in its lowermost portion near said top, and a catch located in the upper portion of said guide frame in position to eugage the notches in said rod to hold said rod in its adjusted positions.

6. A device of the class described including a ioot support, a vacuum-cup having its bottom engaging said support and its peripheral edge extending upward into bootengaging position, a perforated flanged plug for firmly securing the bottom of said cup to said support and providing an outlet port to the cup. a leaf spring valve secured at its rear end to the under side of said support and positioned to control said port at an intermediate point and provided with a handle at its 'forward end, and means on said spring valve at said port control point for making a tight closure when the spring valve is unrestrained and :tree to close.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto subscribe my naine this 20th day of January,

ABRAHAM J. oLiNe. 

